Induction-coil.



R. VARLEY. INDUCTION GUIL. APPLICATION FILED IAN. 12, 1904.

PATBNTED APR. 19, 1904 No MODEL.

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B.. VARLEY. INDUCTION COIL.

APPLIOATIoN 111.31) un. 12, 1904. No 110ML.

PATBNTED: APR. 19, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented April 19, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

RICHARD VARLEY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO VARLEY DUPLEX MAGNET COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

INDUCTloN-Coll..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '757 ,525, dated April 19, 1904. Application filed January l2, 1904. Serial No. 186,695.` (No model.)r

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be itknown that I, RICHARD VARLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Induction-Coils, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to spark-coils adapted for igniting the charge in explosion-engines. The invention also has reference in a measure to induction-coils generally which are equipped with vibrators.

The ordinary equipment for a multicylinder explosion-engine includes a separate induction-coil and its vibrator for each cylinder, and in places where space is an important item and the weight of the parts another, such as on an automobile, it is offconsiderable advantage to provide for the disposition of the spark-coils in as compact a manner as possible and in a manner to eliminate as many of the parts and their proportionate weight as possible.

The present invention therefore consists of a plurality of spark-coils arranged in a single box or casing and provided with one vibrating circuit-interrupter which is common to all of the coils, each coil being provided with its own vibrator, which vibrators successively act upon the' common circuit-interrupter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of one end of a box or casing to which is fitted the mechanism for actuating the circuit-interrupter, the box and the heads of the coils being indicated in dotted lines. Eig. 2 is a section of the box or casing on line ad of Fig.

1, and Eig. 3 is a diagram of the circuits of' the multiplex coil.

Referring to the drawings by letter, the dotted lines 1 indicate a box or casing, and the lines 2 the heads of four induction-coils placed therein, the iron cores of which project through the head of the casing, as indicated at 3, in order to actuate the circuit-interrupter. In the space between the projecting cores is fixed a rectangular plate 4, upon which are pivoted four armature-levers, (indicated, respectively,

by 5, 6, 7, and 8.) These levers are pivoted in brackets 9 and their inner ends assembled near the center of the plate 4, while at the outer end of each lever is attached a soft-iron armature 10, or the lever itself may be of soft iron.

11 is a bracket fixed to the plate 4 and having pivoted Yto it a block of insulating material 12, to the under side of which are secured four springs 13, 14,15, and 16, the ends of these. springs, respectively, resting over the inner ends of the armature-levers 5, 6, 7, and 8.

17 is a circuit-controlling lever pivoted in an insulated bracket 18 and provided at one end with a platinum contact 19, while its opposite or inner end is widened into a triangular shape and covers the inner ends of all four of the armature-levers, standing normally a slight distance above said levers, as shown in Eig. 2. This inner end of the lever 17 is pressed upon by a spring-plate 20, which is attached to the upper side of the block 12, and this spring-plate as well as the spring-plates 13 to 16 are caused to normally press upon their respective levers by the adjusting-screw 21, which works in a bridge 22, attached to the plate 4, and bears against an arm 23, attached to the block 12. It will thus be seen that the adjustment of the screw 21 determines the spring-pressure upon the various levers 13 to17. The downward pressure of the spring' 2O upon the lever 17 normally holds the platinum contact 19 against another platinum contact 24, fixed to the end of a screw 25. This screw is threaded into a rocking bar 26, mounted to turn upon axial screws 27 at the upper ends of brackets 28. Fixed to each bracket is a bow-spring 29, which bears at its free end on the upper flat surface 26, and thus serves to hold the contact-screw 25 in its proper working position with respect to the platinum contacts 19. The rocking bar, however, can be turned through an arc of ninety degrees, where the springs 29 again come into play, and by bearing upon other flat surfaces of the bar retain the screw in this exposed position. The end of the screw can thus be inspected and the condition of its platinum contact at once ascertained. By thus removing the screw 25 the contact 19 1s also uncovered and similarly exposed for inspec-- tion. This device is not claimed herein, since it forms the subject of a separate application for patent.

In Fig. 3 the circuits of the multiplex coil are illustrated. 30, 31, 32, and 33, respectively, represent the primary windings of each induction-coil. One end of each is connected to one side of a common battery by a wire 35, the other side of the battery being connected to the end of the circuit-controlling lever 17 by wire 36. rl`he opposite ends vof the coils 3() to 33 lead to the brush-contacts of mechanical circuit-controllers 37, 38, 39, and 40, respectively, these devices consisting' of the usual disks on the engine-shaft, having' insulated contact-segments set into their peripheries, which are brought at regular intervals beneath the brushes. As the invention has been described in connection with a fourcylinder engine, there are four of these mechanical circuit controllers on the engineshaft, one for each cylinder, and with their contact-segments arranged ninety degrees apart to correspond with the cranks of the engine. From each of the coils 30 to 33 a wire 41 to 44, respectively, leads to a brush on the circuit-controllers 37 to 40. r1`he contact-segment in the rim of each disk is grounded by beingconnected to the frame of the engine, as indicated at 45. The contact-screw 25 is likewise grounded at 46. It will now be seen that inasmuch as the contact-segments of the mechanical circuitcontrollers are arranged ninety degrees apart the circuit from 45 through the wires 41 to 44 will be successively closed. As shown in the diagram, the circuit of battery 34 is closed through the primary coil 30, such circuit being traced as follows: From ground 45 to circuit-controller 37, wire 41, coil 30, wire 35, battery 34, wire 36, lever 17, contacts 19 and 24, screw 25, and ground 46. The circuits of all of the other primary coils are open at the circuit-controllers 38, 39, and 40, respectively. The core 3 of coil 30 being magnetized will attract its armature 10 and lift the inner end of its armature-leverhsay, for instance, lever 5-spring-plate 13 will yield and be forced upward against the under side of lever 17 until the outer end of said lever separates from the screw 25, whereupon, the circuit being broken, armature 10 is released and springs 13 and 2O return the levers 5 and 17 to the closed-circuit position, whereupon the same operation is repeated, this action resulting in the usual rapid interruptions of the primary circuit 30, which continue as long as the contact-segment of the disk 37 is in connection with its corresponding brush. These interruptions will induce a high potential current in the secondary winding associated with primary 30, but not shown in the diagram,

Fig. 6, and an igniting-spark will be created in the corresponding cylinder of the engine. Then the crank-shaft of the engine has rotated ninety degrees farther, the same intel'- ruption of the current at the contacts 19 and 24 will take place, this time the magnetic attraction being caused by the coil 31, acting upon armature-lever 6, which in turn actuates the lever 17, as described, and the charge in the second cylinder of the engine will be ignited. At the next ninety degrees of rotation the coil 32 will be energized and the circuit interrupted as before by the lever 17 and the charge iu the third cylinder of the engine ignited. At the last quarter of the rotation coil 33 will be energized and the circuit interrupted as before by the lever 17 to lire the charge in the fourth cylinder of the engine. In this manner the cycle continues as long as the engine is in operation, it thus appearing that one set of contacts 19 and 24 serves for four induction-coils, and while the continuous arcing that takes place at these contacts will corrode them sooner than is the case with the ordinary single coil it will be seen that the corrosion or oxidation can be quickly removed by proper means after tilting the screw 25 by the means described, and no serious delay need occur. By thus grouping the vibratory levers 5, 6, 7, and 8 at the head of the casing it will be seen that various parts which would be necessary with four separate coils are dispensed with. For instance, the one adjusting-screw 21, with its bridge 22, takes the place of four such devices which would be necessary on four individual coils. Likewise the single bridge for the circuit-:interrupting contacts and the contact devices themselves take the place of four such devices. Also the box inclosing the four coils occupies less space and contains less material than would be required for four individual coils. llie arrangement of the induction-coils with their cores parallel to each other prevents straying or leakage of the magnetic lines from the core of the energized coil through the core of an inactive coil, as would be the case if the cores were placed at an ang'le to each other and radiated from a common center.

I am aware that it is not new to attach the cores of a plurality of induction-coils to a common pole-piece and arrange a single circuitcontrolling armature to be actuated by the common pole-piece; but such an arrangement has the defect above pointed out.

47 is a condenser corresponding to the four primary windings. This condenser is connected on one side, through the wire 48, with the lever 17 and on the other side, through the wire 49, to screw 25, it being therefore in a shunt-circuit around. contacts 19 and 24.

The matter of insulation of the various parts may be altered in accordance with the kind of circuit desired. For instance, instead of in- IOO IIO

sulating the contact 19 and its lever 17 and connecting and grounding the screvv 25 the reverse of this may be done, my invention relating more particularly to the construction.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination of aplurality of induction-coils, a plurality of armature-levers corresponding respectively thereto and a single circuit-controlling lever common to all of said armature-levers and adapted to be actuated successively thereby.

2. The combination of a plurality of induction-coils, a single vibrating circuit-interrupter common to all of the coils, and a plurality ofmechanical circuit-controllers adapted to be operated successively and controlling the circuit of the respective coils.

8. The combination of a plurality of induction-coils, a plurality of armature-levers cor- `responding respectively thereto, a single circuit-controlling lever common to all of said armature-levers and adapted to be actuated successively thereby and a plurality of springs applied respectively to said levers.

4. The combination of a plurality of induction-coils, a plurality of armature-levers corresponding respectively thereto, a single circuit-controlling lever common to all of said armature-levers' and adapted to be actuated successively thereby, a plurality of springs applied respectively to said levers and a single adjusting-screw common to all of said springs.

5. rIhe combination of a plurality of induetion-coils, arranged around a center and with their axes parallel and a plurality of armaturelevers corresponding respectively thereto and approaching a common point, and a single circuit-controlling lever having one end in position to be actuated by any of said armature levers.

In Witness whereof I subscribe my signature in presence of two Witnesses. f

RICHARD VARLEY.

Witnesses: v

M. M. CROXWELL, WILLETT CHADWICK. 

